Every second Trump voter avoids German brands

Before Trump visit to the WEF: German brands suffer from "America First"

In view of ‘America First', an environment is threatening to emerge in which the performance of a product is no longer decisive for the purchase, but rather the political orientation of consumers.”

— Dr. Niklas Schaffmeister

COLOGNE, NRW, GERMANY, January 25, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- One year after his inauguration, US President Donald Trump is set to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. However, for 2018, the most important meeting of the global political and economic elite has chosen a motto that is in resolute opposition to Trump’s nationalist policies of “America First”: “For a common future in a fragmented world.” Before the highly anticipated showdown in Davos, a new survey now shows that German brands are suffering from the nationalist rhetoric and protectionism of the US government. The results are part of a still unpublished study by the consultancy globeone.

According to this study, almost every second (46%) Trump voter and one in five (21%) Clinton supporters says that they bought fewer German brands last year. Instead, three quarters (76%) of all Trump voters prefer buying American products. Half of Hillary Clinton’s constituency (50%) is now making more patriotic decisions and makes more domestic purchases. For the study, 1.000 consumers have been surveyed in the US and Germany at the end of 2017.

Trump´s agenda, meanwhile, has not only harmed German brands, it is also hurting the US economy itself. Two thirds (66%) of German consumers surveyed say the image of the US has worsened in their eyes. Only one in four (25%) sees the country´s reputation unchanged, and only 6% say it has improved since Donald Trump took office.

“Our study shows that Trump’s renaissance of nationalism is causing problems even for brands that are backed by a strong country of origin reputation,” comments Dr. Niklas Schaffmeister, Managing Partner at globeone, on the results of the study. “In view of the ‘America First' strategy, an environment is threatening to emerge in which the performance of a product is no longer decisive for the purchase, but rather the political orientation of consumers.”